ABSTRACT
Spondias mombin, commonly referred to as hog plum or Spanish plum, is a tropical fruit tree belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, valued traditionally for its culinary uses and nutritional content. Recently, attention has been directed towards exploring its potential medicinal properties, specifically in the context of anti-diarrhea effects. The study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical, acute toxicity and anti-diarrhea properties of the ethanol leaves extract of Spondias mombin, focusing on castor oil-induced diarrhea and its impact on gastrointestinal transit in mice using standard procedures. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the ethanol leaf extract of Spondias mombin revealed the presence of cardiac glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, phenolics, eugenols, tannins, terpenoids, and alkaloids. Among these compounds, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenolics, eugenols, and alkaloids were found to be abundantly present in the extract. The oral administration of graded doses (10, 200, and 4000 mg/kg p.o.) of the ethanol leaf extract of Spondias mombin to mice did not produce any significant changes in behavior, breathing, cutaneous effects, sensory nervous system responses, or gastrointestinal effects during the observation period. Additionally, no mortality was recorded in any group after 72 hours of administering the extract to the animals. In the castor oil-induced diarrhea experiment, the ethanol leaf extract of Spondias mombin exhibited a marked antidiarrheal effect in mice. Treatment with the extract significantly decreased the total number of diarrheal feces, percentage inhibition of diarrhea, and total weight of feces compared to the control group. The effect was dose-dependent, with higher doses showing greater efficacy. The ethanol leaf extract of Spondias mombin demonstrated significant anti-motility effects in both castor oil-induced gastrointestinal transit and normal intestinal transit experiments. Treatment with the extract resulted in a decrease in the distance traveled by the marker as a percentage of the total length of the small intestine, indicating a reduction in gastrointestinal motility. The effect was comparable to that of the reference drug loperamide. In conclusion, the research findings strongly validate the traditional use of Spondias mombin as an effective treatment for diarrhea. The ethanol leaf extract of Spondias mombin demonstrated significant anti-diarrheal properties, including the ability to reduce diarrhea symptoms, intestinal motility, and fluid accumulation in experimental models. These results highlight the potential of Spondias mombin as a natural and accessible remedy for managing diarrhea due to the phytochemicals present. The LD50 was also discovered to be greater than 4000 mg/kg since there was no death recorded from the acute toxicity test
